Femme Fatale
by j3nnee
Summary: post "Out of the Box" Neal goes out for a walk and finds death lying at his feet.
1. Chapter 1

**Femme Fatale  
===============**

Neal was feeling a little restless so he slipped out of June's just after midnight and took a little walk. Probably not the smartest thing to do after hours in NYC but he just had to do something other than pace the little penthouse apartment.

The night air was cool but not so much his blazer didn't keep him warm. He pushed his hat down over his face and kept walking down the sidewalk aimlessly, thoughts of things past and present swirling through his mind. He thought about the past year and everything that had happened to him including Kate's death. He had tried hard not to think about it but it had been hard not to. His whole future had depended for so long upon finding and saving her and now... everything was up in the air. Yes he had friends and a family of sorts but he couldn't and wouldn't forget Kate. She had been his life. His dream.

Neal sighed to himself, his breath visible as he noticed the weather getting cooler. He pulled his blazer closer around him, arms hugging his chest as he thought about heading back to June's. He passed an alleyway he knew was a shortcut, debating the danger of cutting through this late at night. He finally shrugged and started down the path, eyes wary and searching as he passed through the dimly lit alleyway.

Halfway down the path, Neal saw movement just beyond a distant dumpster. He slowed his steps but kept going unsure of what to think about it. As he drew closer, moving to the far side of the alley from the receptacle he realized the movement was someone's hand struggling on the ground. He paused briefly as he approached and peered around.

A man sat on the alley floor beside the dumpster, slumped against it, arms flailing weakly at his sides as he struggled to breath. He made a wet gurgling sound that scared the young con but he moved closer after a moment, cautiously scouting around him to see if it was kind of trap. When nothing happened he moved a bit closer and saw the man was bleeding from a wound at his neck, blood seeping out of it heavily and onto the man's jacket and shirt. Neal's eyes widened in horror and he took a hesitant step back before finally moving forward and crouching beside the wounded man.

"Hey!" Neal called out but the man didn't look at him, eyes glassy and staring blankly up at the hazy sky above. Neal pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and applied as much pressure as he could to the wound while keeping an eye on his surroundings. He pulled out his cell and hit speed dial. He heard the ringing and then a sleepy voice.

"You better be half way to China calling me this late Neal..." The cranky voice of Peter Burke answered with a little yawn afterwards. Neal tried not to sound panicked.

"Peter... I... I went for a walk and found a man dying. I don't know what to do!" His voice shook and he heard a loud intake of air on the other end as the agent seemed to figure out what was going on. He heard movement and another voice in the background, possibly El's and then the sound of a door shutting.

"Neal, call 911 and then call me back. Where are you?" Neal gave his location quickly then hung up and called 911 as he continued to hold pressure on the wound at the stranger's neck. He was panicked, the handkerchief nearly soaked through and the man barely moving now, his shuddering form giving a few slight shakes off and on. After what seemed forever, Neal heard sirens in the distance and even better he saw a familiar vehicle approaching down the alleyway. It was Peter. The agent parked the car a few feet from the scene and practically ran from the vehicle. He looked down at the panicked young man and patted him on the shoulder gently as he crouched down beside both figures.

"Neal..." He didn't know what to say so he took the young man's hand and put his own on the wound in his place while checking the stranger's vitals. The man was cold as a corpse, body barely moving as glassy green eyes just stared blankly at the sky above. It was sudden but quick as those blank eyes suddenly moved down and looked at Neal a moment, one hand reaching up to grasp tightly at the young man's lapels.

"Nos...fer...a...tu..." The man's voice was barely audible but Neal and Peter both heard what he said as his body shuddered one last time and he slumped against the agent's arm. Peter looked as horrified as Neal unsure of what just happened as the ambulance pulled up from the opposite direction and parked. Several EMTs scrambled out and came to their aid. Peter let them take care of the stranger, pulling Neal aside to his car. Both of their hands were covered in blood and Neal's face had paled about three shades lighter than normal.

Peter reached inside his vehicle and pulled out a bottle of water. He held each of Neal's hands gently, pouring the cool liquid over them and rinsing as much of the blood away as he could before he handed the young man some paper towels. Neal was still in shock but he wiped vaguely at his hands and cleaned what was left of the stranger's blood from them as Peter did the same and washed his own hands. They were both quiet as they watched the EMT's work on the body and then one of them walked over.

"I'm sorry but he's gone." Neal's eyes just about popped out of his head. They didn't know the man from Adam but seeing someone die like that was just horrific and apparently it was just too soon after what happened with Kate for the young man to deal with. He slumped a bit against the side of the car, sliding down to a crouch and looking ill. Peter crouched beside him but Neal stood up suddenly and ran to a corner and started to throw up. Peter watched the young man helplessly, holding up a hand for the EMT to wait while he went and helped his friend. He took the hat off Neal's head and rubbed the young man's back gently as he vomited. Finally Neal stood up again and leaned against the agent.

"Home..." was all he said his face pale and blank. Peter nodded, leading the young man around to the passenger side and getting him settled before he closed the door and walked back to the EMT.

"I'm sorry. We didn't know the man. My friend called me when he found the stranger in the alley bleeding." Peter flashed his badge at the medic who nodded. "You guys are FBI? Do I need to send you any statements about the case?" Peter blinked realizing he was involved now even if he hadn't meant to be.

"No, but here's my card. Can you let me know what happens." Peter pulled out a crisp card from his jacket and gave it to the EMT. "I'm not here officially but since my friend was involved, I'm sure the cops will be asking questions of any witnesses. Have them contact me. He's uhm... well he just lost someone close to him so this is kind of traumatic in more ways than one." The EMT nodded and looked around at the young man staring blankly from inside the car.

"Not a problem. I'll be sure to keep you up to date." The medic left and Peter walked back to the car and slipped inside. He glanced over at Neal who just sat there slumped in the seat staring out the window. Peter started up the car, backed out and turned around making it back out the alley the way he came in. Neal didn't speak or move the whole time they were in the car, eyes staring out the window at nothing. Peter could only imagine what he was thinking about or seeing in his mind's eye and shivered thinking of the nightmares they were going to have after this.

It wasn't till they parked that Neal seemed to wake up and blink at his surroundings and sat up looking around. He turned and stared at Peter curiously and pointed out the window.

"This isn't June's." Peter shook his head and removed his seat-belt as he started to get out of the car. "I thought it best you come stay with us. The police may contact you too so it's better you're with me when all this happens." Neal nodded vaguely at the agent, removing his seat-belt after a moment and opening the passenger door. He started out of the car and nearly collapsed but Peter was there to catch him. Neal leaned on the body of the vehicle, his face still very pale as Peter closed the door and helped the young man up the few steps to the Burke's residence.

Peter opened up the door and lead the young man in first, closing the door behind him and locking it. He helped Neal out of his jacket and put it up on the rack by the door before leading Neal to the sofa and sitting him down. When he was settled, Peter removed his own jacket and hung it up on the coat rack and walked back, sitting beside the young man. Neal just slumped against the sofa back looking pallid and sick. Peter squeezed his shoulder gently.

"I'm sorry..." Neal turned and looked at his friend curiously.

"No need to be... my fault for going for a walk. My fault for choosing a shortcut home. My fault..." He stopped and started to sniffle like he was going to cry, eyes shiny. Peter pulled the young man over towards him and lay Neal's head on his shoulder. The young man started to sob despite everything, his body shuddering. Peter looked up as he saw a figure descend the stairs, holding up a hand for them to stay back. It was El, a worried look on her face. She nodded and went quietly back up the stairs.

Neal stopped crying after a few minutes slumping slightly against the agent. Peter gently pushed the young man away from him and found Neal had passed into a kind of light sleep, eyes closed, face semi-relaxed. Peter lay the young man across the sofa as comfortably as he could, finding a throw from a nearby armchair and putting it over the young man. He also pushed a cushion under the young man's head and quietly started to step away. Neal's hand grabbed his and Peter paused looking back. The young man stared up at him through half-opened eyes.

"Don't leave... please." It was only a momentary thing but his grip went slack against Peter's hand as he fell back into an exhausted sleep. Peter looked at his friend worriedly. El had come back down by now. She looked over at Neal and motioned for Peter to come over.

"What happened?" El's voice was soft but she made a little gasp as Peter told her the story. She looked worried and concerned hugging Peter close.

"I'm so sorry. And the man just... died? No wonder he's so upset. It's too soon after..." She didn't finish her sentence just putting one hand over her mouth in shock. Peter sighed.

"The victim was young too. Not much older than Neal at worse. He... The man said something odd." El looked at him as they moved into the kitchen and she started a pot of coffee. Peter peeked out a few times to check on Neal but the young man was sleeping. Finally El had poured him a cup of java and they sat down.

"What did he say?" El looked curiously at her husband as he sipped at the coffee.

"He said... well... it's like something out of a bad movie but... he said Nosferatu." Peter took a long sip of the coffee and stood up walking around the kitchen with the cup in hand, a thoughtful worried look on his face. He peeked out once more but Neal was still asleep. He seemed relieved as he sat back down with his wife.

"Nosferatu? You mean like the movie? A vampire?" Her face looked puzzled by the comment and Peter just shrugged continuing to sip at his coffee.

"Yeah. I just don't understand the reference. And to make it odder, the wound was on the man's neck." El gasped, putting a hand over her mouth and looking horrified.

"Poor Neal. I know how sensitive he is about violence." She hugged her husband, kissing him on the cheek. "It can't have been easy for you."

Peter shook his head and looked at his hands. There was still a bit of blood under his nails and around them despite having washed them. He stood up and walked over to the sink and ran the cold water, putting plenty of soap on his hands and scrubbing hard. El walked over and hugged him.

"It's going to be ok." She continued to hug him as he finished cleaning his hands and dried them.

"I'm just worried about..." He stopped as if listening to something. He looked at El and she peered at him curiously. Suddenly she perked up and they both looked at the kitchen door. They could hear voices in the other room or more they could hear someone talking softly.

**(just a dream)**

Neal cried. This was only one of a few times in his life he could think of that he had faced death in the face. The man hadn't been much older than himself, dark blond hair, pale tan skin and green eyes. So much blood! He couldn't stop thinking of the blood as he cried and the idea of death just brought back memories of losing Kate. He felt Peter pull him closer and the young man leaned on his friend's shoulder and kept crying despite everything. Once he had cried himself out he just slumped against his friend, falling into a light sleep almost immediately.

Neal felt gentle hands lay him down across the sofa and cover him with a warm blanket, pushing a cushion under his head. The young man was too exhausted to do more than let them as he lay there trying to forget all that had happened. He sensed movement around him and reached out, eyes opening a moment, as he grasped Peter's hand.

"Don't leave... please." It was only a momentary thing but his grip went slack against Peter's hand as he fell back into an exhausted sleep. Neal was asleep. Nightmares plaguing him as he found himself trapped in his memories. He wanted to escape. To be free...

"Wake up, sleepy head." Neal heard a soft feminine voice speaking to him. He didn't recognize it but it didn't matter. It was soothing and a scent like someone familiar drew him towards the voice. He opened his eyes and looked up to see a young woman looking down at him. She was beautiful, long dark hair flowing over her shoulders and pale alabaster skin like a Grecian statue. Her eyes sparkled a deep violet beneath long dark lashes. She smiled at him and touched his cheek gently. He must be dreaming. She was too perfect to be real.

"Who..." She put a finger to his lips and shushed him quietly.

"Whomever you wish." She smiled enticingly without revealing anything, her lips moving down to his cheek and touching lightly. Then her lips warm and soft touched his neck and he felt her teeth scratch at his skin sharply. Something cold seeped through him from where her teeth scratched him. Neal shuddered slightly, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Kate..." He murmured softly and he felt the woman kiss him and her voice changed.

"Neal, I missed you so much." He opened his eyes and he saw Kate there, smiling down at him. He reached to touch her but she turned towards the kitchen door and pulled away. Neal looked at her with a longing look and she put a finger to her lips and vanished out the front door silently. He stared after her, the coldness still with him. He murmured weakly.

"Kate..." Eyes rolling back into his head as he slumped against the sofa. He heard voices and sensed movement as someone moved towards him and touched his forehead.

"Neal... wake up!" Someone was nudging him but he felt too weak, body cold and numb. He felt someone nudge him over and over till his eyes finally fluttered open and he peered up at a blurry figure.

"El... look at his neck. What is that?" He could make out Peter's voice, worried and concerned.

"I don't know. I'll get the first-aid kit." He heard movement as El walked away and then returned. Neal was just conscious of things in the periphery but felt strangely numb. That woman... no Kate... she had been here. She was alive!

"Kate..." He murmured softly, a slight smile coming to his face as he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**(Chapter 2)**

Neal woke up feeling warm and comfortable. He opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. The room was nicely furnished in familiar earth tones and he realized after a moment where he was. Neal pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked around stiffly feeling as if he had been sleeping for a few days. He turned at the sound of a soft snore in the corner and noticed a figure on a comfy armchair. It was Peter, the older man slumped in the chair, feet up on a small ottoman. Someone had attempted to make him comfortable, a small throw over the agent. Neal smiled at the sight of the agent looking so relaxed.

It took a bit of effort but the young man pushed the covers aside and swung his feet around quietly to the side of the bed and stood up. He actually felt pretty good as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He limped towards the sleeping figure and stood over them, reaching down after a moment and touching their shoulder. Peter woke up with a start, eyes still mostly closed as he fumbled around sleepily.

"El...Oh..." He looked up and saw Neal standing there. Neal smiled down at him.

"Neal, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Neal shrugged but then smiled.

"Actually pretty good." He sat down on the ottoman when Peter removed his feet and stared at his friend curiously.

"I don't remember much but... why am I in your guestroom?" He saw Peter look at him with a strange expression.

"Uhm... you don't remember anything?" Neal shook his head at the Fed, feeling strangely calm despite thinking he had lost something. He continued to smile, a lightness of spirit making him think he didn't need to know what he had lost. He saw Peter look at him again, rubbing his chin.

"I actually feel pretty good. How long did I sleep? I don't even remember coming here. I guess I showed up after my walk?" Neal was smiling but he noticed a strange look on the agent's face.

"Uhm... yeah... your walk. And you've been asleep for two days." Neal's jaw dropped as he heard that and blinked.

"Two days? I don't remember..." He was trying to think back but his memory was fuzzy and all he could feel was a strange happiness that made him not care too much. It bothered him but not enough to think about it much. He still had Kate to think about.

"Neal, we can discuss this later if you want. Why don't we go down and have some lunch. It's nearly..." He glanced at the clock. "...eleven." Peter stood up and stretched sleepily, looking at the young man. Neal looked kind of happy considering how he had been. It was almost unnerving.

"Food sounds good." Neal smiled regardless of the past year and seemed to be back to his old self. Peter reached up and felt the young man's forehead. Neal looked at him curiously.

"So what's your prognosis, Dr. Quack?" Peter smirked at the young man's comment, removing his hand.

"That you must be doing better if you can make jokes to a man who carries a gun." Neal held up a hand in mock fear.

"Oh right... you're a Federal agent. I keep forgetting that." Neal winked at the agent, making a kind of flourish towards the door. Peter mumbled something under his breath, opening up the guestroom door and they both exited.

Downstairs, Elizabeth was fiddling around in the kitchen. On the table sat a plate of sandwiches. Neal followed Peter into the room through the swinging doors. Both men sat down when El pointed at the table and walked over to the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of what appeared to be lemonade. Neal smiled up at her and reached for a sandwich as she filled a glass near him.

"Thanks El... Hmmm..." Neal looked down at the sandwich he took a bit out of and then over at Peter.

"Uhm, I think this sandwich was meant for you." He cut off the part he had bitten and handed it to Peter who stared at him oddly.

"For me? Why would you say that." Peter sniffed at the sandwich and grinned suddenly.

"Oh right, Deviled Ham. I forgot you love this stuff." He smirked at the young man and took a bite of the sandwich heartily. Neal made a face, holding his nose and looking back at the plate of sandwiches. Elizabeth pulled one out of the pile and placed it on his plate.

"I think you'll like this one, Neal. It's chicken salad." Neal nodded with a smile and took a big bite out of it.

"This is good. Did you put egg in it?" She nodded, sitting across from him and smiling as she pulled a sandwich of her own from the pile.

"And some other ingredients that are my own secret recipe." She winked at him and took a sip of her lemonade. Neal grinned.

"Hmmm, I may have to charm that information out of you one of these days." Peter looked up at the two and made a face.

"Please refrain from flirting with my wife at the dinner table when I'm present, Neal." Elizabeth giggled swatting her husband on the arm playfully.

**(what dreams may come)**

After lunch, Peter and Neal were shooed out of the kitchen despite Neal's request to help. Elizabeth refused and told them to go play nicely in the den. Both men were sitting on the couch, Peter had turned on the tv and was watching a game, when Neal stood up and walked over to the door. Peter gave him a curious look.

"Where do you think you're going?" Neal paused and turned around, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack. He pulled it on and started to button it up when Peter stood up and walked over. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.

"I'm ok, Peter. Really. I just... I'm going to take a taxi back to June's. Tell El I said thanks." Peter seemed to be trying to read something into the young man's actions but shrugged, grabbing his own jacket and pulling it on.

"Give me five minutes, I'll take you myself. Least I can do." Neal blinked but nodded watching the agent go back to the kitchen and disappear inside the swinging door. Neal went back inside the den and sat on the sofa.

"Neal..." The young man turned at the sound of his name and saw Kate standing by the door. He fought the urge to say anything, turning back to see if Peter was coming back.

"Kate... how?" He stood up and walked over to her and they hugged. She smelled the way he remembered her and he wondered if he was dreaming. He felt her lips on his cheek and then on his neck, her teeth cutting at his skin and that cold familiar feeling he had forgotten for the other night overcoming him. His mind went hazy, eyes rolling back briefly before he felt her pulling at his arm. He saw the door was open and she was leading him outside. He didn't turn around but just followed her, the door closing quietly behind them.

**(disappearance)**

Peter walked into the kitchen and hugged his wife from behind as she finished cleaning up. He helped her put a few of the dishes away and smiled.

"Neal wants to go home. I'm going to drop him off. I'll be back in a few." He kissed her on the cheek and she hugged him tight.

"Oh... give him these." She took a few of the sandwiches from the table and placed them in a small box.

"Chicken salad. His favorite." Peter smiled at her and she kissed him on the lips.

"Will do. Be back soon." He gave her one last hug, picked up the box and exited the kitchen.

Outside, Peter walked around to the door and looked confused. Neal was nowhere to be seen and his coat wasn't on the rack. Peter put the box on the coffee table and ran up stairs. He looked in the guestroom and bathroom... no Neal. He trotted back downstairs to see Elizabeth looking curiously at him.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She saw the look of confusion on his face as he looked around.

"Neal... he's not here." He glanced around then his face perked up as he looked at the front door. He walked over and noticed it was unlocked and not quite closed all the way. Peter opened the door and stepped outside. The afternoon sunlight was soft through a partially cloudy sky but there was no sign of Neal anywhere. The agent was about to go back in when he saw something on the door frame. He saw his wife looking at him curiously as he pulled the item off and held it up to the light. It was a long dark hair, sable in color and rather thick. Lucky for him it still had the root on it so forensics would be able to get something out of it.

"What is that, Peter?" He looked at his wife and then back outside before he turned and hugged her.

"Evidence. To what, I'm not sure yet." He turned to leave, kissing his wife quickly and then walked to his car.

**(heaven?)**

Neal didn't remember anything about leaving the Burke's house. He had a vague memory of seeing Kate and then he found himself in strange surroundings. He lay on a huge king-sized, four-poster bed enclosed with large red velvet curtains that hid the surrounding room. Braided tassels in gold hues hung down delicately from the sides, the ceiling hidden from view. Neal pushed himself up and realized he was only wearing his tee and boxers when he pulled the white satin sheets away from him. He felt confused and somewhat curious as to where he was.

After a moment, Neal felt around the curtains and found the opening, pushing them aside and slipping out of the bed. His bare feet touched a luxuriously soft carpeting that his toes practically sank into. It matched the red of the curtains he noticed as he looked around at the rest of the room. The walls were a soft velvety pink that was slightly lighter than the curtains and carpeting with a Doric design running the length of the ceiling edge around the room. He saw a robe set out on a nearby armchair in a small sitting area and pulled it on.

The room itself was sparsely furnished with a small night stand on either side of the bed of a rich cherry. A matching wardrobe and dresser sat off to the far left of the bed by a full length window covered in the same velvet material as the four poster bed. A full length mirror took one small wall near the entrance to what appeared to be a bathroom only this was like no bathroom Neal had ever seen. It was something out of a designer's magazine with a walk-in shower tiled immaculately with colored stones that seemed to glow from within. A large sink in a similar design stood across from the shower with a wall length mirror. A simple white bathtub, the only thing that struck him as oddly out of place sat off to the far side in a small alcove. He walked around the huge space thinking how half of his apartment would fit in this one room when he heard the sound of soft footsteps behind him.

"I see you're awake." He turned and saw Kate standing there in nothing than a short kimono style robe. She looked beautiful, her hair fixed up in a messy bun. Neal just looked at her a moment, drinking her in with his eyes and feeling like he had come home. He took a few steps towards her and hugged her close.

"Is this where they've been keeping you?" He was glad to know she atleast was well after so much time apart. She nodded softly against his shoulder and he felt her nestle close to him. Her perfume was intoxicating and her kisses more so as she gently bit at his neck again. That cold feeling came over him but this time he felt more conscious of the fact. She pulled away and took his hand leading him to the small sitting area and a love seat there. They sat down and she stared deeply into his eyes, the blue seemed so much deeper than before he thought.

"Neal, do you love me? I mean... do you REALLY love me?" He pulled her into his lap and kissed her.

"Yes. You know I'd do anything for you. I... the music box. I'm close. Very close." He kept kissing her, breathing in her scent and feeling that cold escape as she kissed at his neck. He suddenly noticed how much sharper her teeth seemed but it didn't seem to matter to him. She was here and he was glad after so long to see her. She played with his hair and brushed it from his face.

"The music box. Yes... You can bring it to me?" He stared into her eyes, his pupils somewhat dilated and nodded vaguely. She smiled back and caressed his cheek gently.

"Good. I knew I could believe in you, Neal."

**(the search)**

Peter sat in his office waiting for the report from forensics on the hair he had brought in. It didn't belong to Alex he knew. Her hair was a bit thinner but it was definitely female and he wondered what it was doing on his door frame when his wife's hair didn't match. He chewed on his lip and wondered where Neal was. He had tried to call the young man but his cell kept going to voice mail. Something wasn't right here. He turned as the phone rang and picked up the receiver.

"Burke." He listened to the person on the other end and nodded.

"Yes, I remember you. You have information on the John Doe?" He nodded into the phone and then whistled.

"Thanks... I appreciate you calling me back." Peter hung up the phone and wrote some stuff down quickly on a nearby legal pad then started typing it into the computer. His face was lit up by the faint glow of the LCD screen he was reading when he heard someone knock.

"Peter?" Burke looked up absently to see Jones standing in his doorway. The young agent held a manila folder.

"Is that from forensics?" Jones nodded and closed the door as he walked in and passed the folder to his boss. Peter opened it up and looked the contents over while he young agent sat across from him and gave a short rundown.

"The hair belongs to a renown antiquities thief by the name of "Monika Vladislav." She's a hard woman to capture and always manages to escape when she has been caught. The woman is a ghost." Jones pointed at a set of pictures inside the folder.

"She's left a few interesting things at her crime scenes. Note the marks on this guard's neck." Peter peered at the picture and had a flashback to the night he and Neal had seen the man in the alleyway. He made a loud intake of breath.

"Nosferatu... Vladislav... it makes sense now." Jones looked at his boss curiously and Peter explained.

"The man who Neal found was bleeding heavily from the neck and coughed out "Nosferatu" before he died. I just found out he was a thief aswell. Looked him up online. Monica's so called partner." He paused and continued.

"I didn't see the wound but I did see something like it forming on Neal's neck the night we found the victim. I think Miss Vladislav is stalking him from the scene. Trying to get rid of a witness although he never mentioned seeing any actual assailant..." He paused and then looked further into the file. His face went grim suddenly.

"Am I reading this right, Clinton? She actually pretends to be a vampire and drugs her victims that way to do her bidding? These toxicology reports... Neal's in real danger!" He cursed silently to himself and closed the file, standing up.

"Get me the data for Neal's anklet. I haven't gotten any calls that it's offline but we could try and see if it's available." Jones nodded and they left the office for the computer downstairs.

"This makes no sense!" Peter slammed his hand on the table in frustration. According to the tracking site, Neal Caffrey was still at the Burke home but when he called his wife, she said she hadn't seen him since they'd eaten lunch. Peter hung up feeling more concerned than ever. This woman was a murderer as well as a thief and she had Neal wrapped around her finger somewhere. It made sense now. Whatever drug it was she was feeding the young man, it had changed him enough to forget the past few days if not more. Neal had seemed happier but it was because of the after effects of the substance she injected into him.

"Boss, do you think Fowler could be behind this?" The agent drew Peter's attention from the screen.

"Fowler? No... this is too smart for him. Maybe the highers up. Dammit! I don't know what to do or even where to start looking." Peter stood and paced around the desk, trying to get any ideas to where Neal could have been taken and why. He came up with a blank and turned to Jones.

"Keep digging up info on Vladislav. There has to be a clue to where she took Neal." Jones nodded and Peter walked back to his office.


	3. Chapter 3

**(Chapter 3)**

Neal lay back on the red dyed sofa, Kate brushing at his hair gently. She kissed him along the neck again, her bite gentle but he could feel something cold again. He knew something was wrong but he didn't seem to care and just lay there murmuring softly, his body limp in her hands.

"Neal, where is the music box?" He murmured at her through half opened eyes. His words slurred a bit as if he were drunk.

"Fowler... gave it to Fowler. Gave us the paperwork. _Men...tor..._" His voice trailed off.

"You're just a little boy, aren't you? It's a shame things have to be the way they are." She kept caressing his cheek, looking at his face which was relaxed and calm. His lips moved softly, eyes closed.

"Kate... stay with me forever." She kissed him again and the young man fell into a light sleep. A shadow fell over the two figures and she turned. A man with an unusual ring on his finger looked down at them and she stared up at him curiously.

"He seems to think I'm _her_. The one you killed. He knows who has the box. Someone named _Fowler_ has it?" The man nodded and she looked back at Neal, moving away and leaving his limp form on the sofa.

"Why do you want to kill him so badly? He doesn't seem like a threat to me." She fell back as the person slapped her across the face hard, the ring leaving a bit of a bruise and cut across her milky cheek. Monica glared up at the man.

"I've done my part. Just pay me so I can disappear again." The man nodded and pulled out a small parcel from his pocket, handing it to her. She took it and stood up stiffly.

"This is only half of what you promised me." Her face angry, violet eyes flashing brightly up at the figure.

"Finish the job and you'll get the other half." The man's voice was low bass. He turned and left the room, leaving Monica with Neal. She looked back at the young man, brushing at the hair that fell across his brow. She looked almost wistfully down at him then at the money in her other hand.

**(intel)**

"Peter!" Jones came running into the agent's office looking somewhat out of breath. He looked up at the young man with a hopeful expression.

"I think we found her... Vladislav. Someone matching her description was scene checking into a luxury suite at a condo off the park. Fancy Schmancy type of place only big wigs and millionaires rent out." Peter smiled and his face looked relieved.

"Good work, Jones!" Peter looked at the information provided and his face suddenly quirked. He looked up from the paper and then back down.

"It says the room was rented out to a person by the name of _Anillo_. _Anillo_... why does that seem familiar?" Jones shrugged at his boss, turning when they heard a knock at the office door. Ruiz came in.

"I'm off guys. It's 5 pm." She looked at them a moment trying to figure out what was going on and closed the door.

"I'm guessing you're both working on something unofficial and it's to do with Neal... am I right?" Peter and Jones looked between themselves and then at Ruiz. She took a seat and sat down.

"I want to help. Give me the dirt." Peter blinked as did Jones and finally they pushed the paper over to her and let her read the case files. They filled her in on the details and she whistled.

"_Anillo_... oh! Yeah... _Spanish_!" Peter looked at her and smiled with a bit of a blush.

"I was terrible at foreign languages. Ask El." Jones nodded in agreement.

"Same here. I'm lucky I can conjugate in English sometimes." Ruiz looked between the both of them curiously as Peter nodded at the young woman to continue. She pointed at the name of the _leasee_.

"_Anillo_ in Spanish means "_ring_." Peter gawked at her and then he walked around and squeezed her shoulder.

"Ruiz... If I could give you a raise..." Jones perked up aswell. He seemed a little lost.

Peter just smiled knowingly and grabbed up his jacket.

"Ruiz, have a good trip home... Jones, follow me." Peter walked out of the office and they left the building.

**(a little death)**

Neal was sleeping the sleep of the dead. His body felt cold and numb as he lay there in the darkness. He was forgetting something but he couldn't remember what. Something about Kate. It was important. He gave up when his head started to hurt and concentrated on his surroundings.

He was unconscious but he could still pick up on a few things. Mostly he felt drugged. Everytime Kate kissed him on the neck, he felt a kind of "_pinch_" of her teeth against his skin. He couldn't remember her ever kissing him like that in the past. He tried to think about it but his head hurt more so he concentrated on what was going on around him.

Neal heard voices, low murmurs speaking. It sounded like a man and a woman but neither voice was familiar to him. He started to remember that he had been out for a walk not too long ago and then... He paused in his thoughts realizing he was _missing_ time. He woke up at the Burkes and then Kate had showed up out of the blue. He had been headed home to his apt at June's when she had come to him. Neal had wondered why she wouldn't want to meet Peter and El but at the time it seemed unimportant as she kissed him again and he felt his mind slipping.

"He seems to think I'm _her_. The one you killed. He knows who has the box. Someone named _Fowler_ has it?" It was only a faint voice but the sentence rang clear through his mind.

_Dead_... someone _died_.

Neal tried to push around the headache but it seemed to block everything. He could see Kate but nothing else. Something kept him from accessing memories that would tell him why everything that felt so right, wasn't.

"It really is a shame. You seem like a _nice_ guy." He felt someone kiss him gently on the forehead and he murmured softly back as he fought to wake up. His body felt cold and numb as if he had taken a dip in an icy lake. He shivered slightly, sensing danger but not able to see what was coming.

"This will only hurt for a little bit then you'll feel sleepy. Very sleepy and nothing will matter anymore." Her voice was soft but he knew it wasn't Kate's. Kate wouldn't do this to him. Kate...

He saw smoke and fire. He heard an explosion that threw him backwards and he fell against someone. Peter. Peter had been there. _Wreckage_... something...

"Just stay still and it will all be over." He felt himself nod unconsciously to the voice and then felt something sharp dig into his neck slowly, deeply. Then warmth. Something wet and warm dribbled down his neck and onto his shoulder in a slow but steady stream. Someone caressed his hair gently trying to calm him.

"Just lay still and it will end soon. All the pain... everything." Neal felt himself trying to move but he couldn't. His body refused to respond and the wetness dribbled from his neck slow and sure, his body growing colder.

Something had blown up... _someone_... he lost someone.

"_KATE!!!!_" He heard himself calling her name but someone held him back from going to her. He saw flames and smoke and fiery wreckage.


	4. Chapter 4

**(Chapter 4)**

Peter and Jones showed up at the suite Mr. _Anillo_ was leasing and they walked up to door and listened. _Silence_. Peter looked across to Jones on the opposite side of the frame and made a gesture. Quietly Peter pulled out a small set of lock picking tools and began work quietly on the lock. It clicked after a moment and they entered the premises.

The apartment was like something out of a magazine. It was full of rare and _eclectic_ items never seen outside of museums and some large estates. Jones took up the back and Peter moved forward. He pointed at a partially open door at the end of the hallway. Jones nodded and they approached it carefully, Peter pushing the door open, gun at the ready.

Peter stopped mid-step, face paling as he looked at the scene before him. Jones came up beside him and paled a bit himself, turning for a moment then looking back.

Neal lay limply across a red upholstered love seat. His skin was white, a thin sheen of _sweat_ making his skin look sickly shiny. His hair stuck damply to his head and on his neck were two obvious marks like a _bite_. A steady stream of red flowed from the wound and had soaked into the sofa.

Peter looked at the scene and felt a wave of _horror_ and _nausea_ sweep over him but he pushed it back and moved forward. He crouched by the unconscious young man and nudged him gently.

"Neal... Neal, wake up. Neal?" The young man didn't move, his skin like ice. Peter pulled out his phone but stopped as he heard Jones calling 911. He pushed his cell back into his jacket pocket and felt for a pulse on the young man's neck opposite the wound. It was there but just barely, along with a faint shallow breath. Peter wanted to cry if not curse but he held back, pulling off his scarf and pushing it onto the wound in hopes of stopping more the young man's precious life from draining from him.

"Boss... Hughes is calling me." Peter turned and looked worried a second.

"Jones, you weren't here ok. Don't answer the phone. Don't say anything. I'll call him. You were never involved with this. _Ok_?" Jones looked about to protest but Peter pinned him with a look and the young man nodded.

"I don't want you to take any heat for this, Clinton." The young man nodded reluctantly at Peter who spoke one last time.

"Thanks for helping me find him." Jones shrugged with a smile and left the premises leaving Peter alone. He raised the young man's head with some cushions when he felt a _buzz_ of his cell phone ringing. He gulped nervously thinking it was probably Hughes and picked it up. It was El and he gave out a sigh of relief.

"El, hey. I found Neal. Yes... he's alive. Waiting for the ambulance. Sorry. I'll call you when we get there. Love you." He hung up the phone and pushed it back into his pocket. He looked at his friend and sighed deeply.

"Hold on Neal. You're going to be ok." Peter took the young man's hand in his own and held it tightly. He felt a slight squeeze back and saw blue eyes looking glassily up at him. He flashed back to the man in the alleyway and shivered slightly.

"Neal? Can you hear me?" The young man didn't respond at first but then those eyes rolled towards the Fed and he saw a slight shake of his head. Peter smiled.

"You're going to be ok. The ambulance should be here soon." Neal nodded slightly but his eyes seemed to drift up and behind the agent, their glassy stare unfocused.

"Pe... Pe... ter... Wa..." Neal was speaking to him, voice barely audible. Peter didn't understand till he felt something _prick_ at the back of his neck. He turned around but it was as if someone had dropped him in a vat of molasses. He couldn't move much and his body started to stumble as he felt a cold numbness wash over him in a quick wave. Peter saw a figure standing over him as he slumped to the foot of the sofa.

"I guess you're the "_friend_" he was talking about. Two for one _he_ said and I would be paid handsomely." She smiled at the agent, drawing nearer to him and kissing him on the neck. Peter felt a kind of "_scratch_" as if she had bit him and then more cold washed over him.

"Wh..o?" was all he managed to cough out and she smiled sweetly at him suddenly transforming to a familiar face.

"Whomever you wish, dear." And he saw Elizabeth hovering over him, her dark hair flowing around her face in lovely waves. He smiled up at her drunkenly.

"El... what are you doing here?" He shook his head confused but something kept him from thinking straight.

"I'm here to take you home, honey." He nodded and felt his eyes start to roll back into his head. She smelled so good like he remembered. Her perfume was soft and flowery. Light like Spring. She was caressing his face with soft fingers.

"El... let's go home." He heard himself mutter in vague sleepy tones.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Chapter 5)**

Neal remembered now. Something had kept him from remembering but now he could think straight. He had lost Kate. He was meant to be on that plane but Peter had kept him back. The agent had saved his life but Kate had died.

It had been a whole year since her death and he had gone for a walk. He had been restless, unable to think of anything but _why_ and _who_. He had taken a shortcut home and found a man dying. _So much blood_! He had been afraid but he had to do something so he called the only person he trusted, _Peter_, while he tried to save the man. Neal had been in shock afterwards, the man having died at the scene. Peter took him home and then... then he saw her: The dark-haired woman with _violet_ eyes.

She had left him alone after a while. Left him to bleed out in the luxurious room he had admired just moments before. The man with the ring; He had been here. Neal knew it had to be him! Anger tried to rise up in him but he was just too weak to hold on to it and he passed out into a delirium.

After a while he thought he heard voices. Familiar voices. One sounded like Peter and the other... _Jones_? He wasn't sure. They were merely faint murmurs in the background. Someone was gently _shaking_ him. _Speaking_ to him. He tried to concentrate but he was so cold and his body unresponsive. He felt warmth on his hand and a strong firm grip. He did what he could and squeezed back, feeling himself start to wake up if only a little.

Peter stood over him blurrily. He was talking to him but he couldn't understand. Neal nodded vaguely then turned to see a shadow hovering over the agent.

"Pe... Pe... ter... Wa..." He was trying to warn his friend to watch out but his voice failed him as he saw the dark-haired woman stab something small and needle like into the agent's neck. Peter turned and then slumped against the sofa. She hovered over Peter and smiled evilly. Neal watched helplessly as she did to Peter what had been done to him.

"Do... n't." He muttered and she turned to him, violet eyes flashing.

"He's _not_ your friend. He'll turn on you. Thieves and Feds can't be friends." She seemed to be making reference to the man earlier, her face suddenly cold and sad. He noticed the cut across her cheek and a bruise.

"You can't trust him. He's better off dead." She held up something that looked like a set of salad tongs only it had something like teeth on it. She started to move it down to Peter's neck when Neal grasped her wrist. She turned and looked at him again.

" I... Tru..st... hi...m." He tried to get her to understand as he held her wrist loosely. She pulled away, looking between the both of them when the door to the room flew open and several agents showed up.

"Put the weapon down and move away from the agent!" Monica froze and dropped the object after a moment, looking from Neal to the agents, raising her hands up in the air reluctantly. Someone grabbed her and cuffed her. It was Jones. He passed her to another agent and made his way towards Neal and Peter.

"Hey, you ok?" Neal gave a weak thumbs up and then pointed at Peter. The young man looked up and his eyes widened slightly. Jones turned to see Hughes there.

"Uhm... Sir." Jones stood up and Hughes made a wave of his hands to tell him to be _at ease_. The older Fed, the head of their department looked at Caffrey and then at Peter who was murmuring weakly on the floor.

"I think these agents need an ambulance. Where is it Jones?" The young man nodded and lead the EMTs who had just showed up into the room. Hughes looked like he wasn't happy but he seemed to understand what was going on and just turned back to the other agents and started to bark orders as if this were a normal situation.

Neal gave a sigh of relief, weak as he was. The EMTs moved him to a gurney and started to work on his neck wound. Another EMT put Peter on his own gurney and tried _smelling salts_ under the agent's nose. He grimaced a bit but it didn't seem to wake him up too much so he was wheeled away aswell.

.................

Neal woke up in a bland sterile looking room. His eyes focused on his surroundings after a bit and he realized he must be in the hospital. He tried to shift his weight a bit to take in more of the room but felt a stiffness and ache to his body that kept him from moving. His neck felt like something had taken a chunk out of it and he reached up to feel a bandage and gauze at the site. He noticed a pitcher of water on the nightstand beside him and licked at his lips. They were dry and he felt thirstier than he had in ages.

"Thanks. I'll let you know when he wakes up." Peter's voice sounded slightly distracted, a door opening to Neal's right where the agent was entering. He saw the back of his friend's head a cell phone stuck firmly to his ear, head nodding.

"Love you too." Peter hung up the phone with a quiet _beeping_ sound and dropped it into his jacket pocket, turning. He looked surprised as Neal stared plainly back at him, then smiled broadly.

"Hey... you're looking alot better." Peter crossed the room to a chair near the bed and sat down.

"How are you feeling?" The agent looked a bit worn out himself but happy and at the moment, _relieved_. Neal gave a weak smile back and his eyes continued to glance over at the pitcher. Peter noticed the sideways look and nodded, pouring some of the water into a plastic glass beside and handing it to the young man. Neal took several long sips before he handed the cup back and leaned back against the pillows tiredly.

"Feeling? I... I almost wish I could have kept forgetting." He looked up at the ceiling when he spoke, not at his friend. He could just make out Peter rubbing at his chin in thought.

"I can see what you mean considering the circumstances. She was pretty convincing, I'll admit that." Neal turned and looked at his friend with a curious glance.

They had both succumb to the same _femme fatale_. It had been a strange ordeal for the young man and he felt terrible for involving Peter.

"Hughes wasn't too angry about us going all "_gung-ho_" on this one without any backup." Peter leaned back in the chair and tried to look casual but it didn't work.

"I'm on leave for a couple of weeks but they aren't holding anything over me. I made sure they understood that Jones helped because I was his boss and nothing more. So he didn't get in trouble. They are making me see the damn psych though." His voice sounded a bit grudging and Neal reached out and touched his arm.

"Sorry... I should be more careful when I go out for walks." His voice trailed off and his face almost looked haunted again.

The young man had, if only for a few days, almost looked like the _old_ carefree Neal Caffrey while under the influence of that "_woman_." That was probably the only good thing that came out of this. In all honesty Vladislav had been as close to a vampire as one could get. With the intel Peter had learned from Jones, she might have more to do with the _Ring_ man than they had expected. It had been Ruiz who had told them what the name of the leaser meant. There were too many coincidences for this to be just another random act.

"Art forgery for your thoughts?" Peter looked up with a "_wha_?" kind of look as he left his thoughts behind and smiled.

"Art forgery... that's a new one. Well, maybe not for you." Neal smirked back and smiled at the comment.

"Hey, I was only _suspected_ of it but if admitting to something would make you tell me what you're thinking about..." He coughed and twiddled his fingers over his chest. Peter laughed.

"Ah... You're back. See, that's the Neal I know best." He mussed the young man's hair and Neal just looked at him with a quirked up brow.

"Have I been that different? I'm sorry." The young man frowned but Peter poked him in the shoulder.

"Stop that. You keep apologizing but you don't need to. I'm just glad you had a few moments of peace. It's more than some of us have but I'm more relieved that you're still here." He mussed the young man's hair again and chuckled slightly.

"El was kind of concerned when she showed up and I was uhm, under the influence as you say." Neal perked up and looked at Peter interested.

"Uh oh... what happened?" Neal was all ears as the agent told him the story. He blushed a bit but laughed with his friend.

"Wow... that bad. Sor... I'm sure El will forgive you. Not like you kissed another woman." Peter nodded but he still looked quite chagrined.

"Might aswell have. I thought she was my high school sweetheart. That's embarrassing enough!" Neal just chuckled.

"So, did they say when I can leave this _lovely_ place?" The young man sounded a bit petulant but atleast he sounded more like his old self. Peter nodded with a grin.

"Probably another day or so once they're sure you're ok. You lost alot of blood. Vladislav really took the "_vampire_" thing to heart. Thanks for stopping her. I wasn't very aware of my surroundings but I saw you grab her wrist." Neal blushed a bit wondering how much he had heard of his conversation with the young woman.

"She knew the ring man, Neal. I wasn't going to tell you but, you need to know." The young man's face paled slightly remembering the conversation he had heard before she tried to kill him. He stared at his friend, blue eyes bright.

"I know... atleast I suspected. I think he was in the room at some point. I didn't see him but I heard him. I was pretty out of it at the time." He stared at the ceiling. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We're going to figure this out, Neal. Trust me. I'm curious to know who this man is just as much as you." Neal looked at his friend and smiled.

"Thanks, Peter. For everything."

**(the end)**


	6. Epilogue

Femme Fatale Extra:

Ms. Monika Vladislav was booked by the FBI and several items of interest were found on her person. The first and most interesting one was a set of what appeared to be "salad tongs" but with a set of fangs attached. This was apparently how she had killed both her partner and attempted to kill Neal Caffrey.

The second item of interest that made forensics gawk was a set of false incisors in the thief's mouth. They were the kind people used for movie sets and professional costumes, made of the same kind of enamel used for fake nails. These were hollowed out though with a small needle and capsule that held a potent drug. She could bite her victims as if she were a vampire and inject them with enough of the toxin to allow them to think she was anyone they wanted her to be.

The third item was what she used on Agent Burke before biting him. It was a set of accupuncture needles dipped in the same toxin that was found inside her false fangs.

Unfortunately, one of the agents who was booking her was pricked by the needles in one of the teeth while examining them and helped her escape. He wasn't prosecuted but an investigation as to where she may have run to is still under way.


End file.
